Anna Daniels
While high movie ticket prices likely won’t kill cinemas as we know them, they may no longer behave the way we’ve been used to.
Now that going to the theater is no longer a cultural necessity, it means that those who go truly do want to be there. Passion equals loyalty, and that’s the best kind of thing to have in any business. For people who really care about the most technical aspects of cinema, all the 86-inch 4K TVs in the world can’t replace seeing a film in its correct place — and that can only be in a theater for many movie-lovers. Not everybody cares about the deep details of filmmaking, and that’s fine — it means the theater market may have to shift priority to a more couture, luxury product. Theaters, independent and chain alike, have begun selling alcohol again and providing in-theater meals, and that’s because they’re interested in capturing a less family-centric market and punching up the sense of luxury. The higher cost of tickets is justified in the experience.
Some of the newest figures suggest that the years-old adage that streaming kills theaters may not even be true. Recently published numbers by CNBC reveal that those who stream a lot are actually more likely to go to the theater. It makes sense: if you’re a streaming fiend, you probably love film in general, so you do want to see some movies in the theater. Event cinema is the name of the game, tailored for specific tastes. An interview from IndieWire with multiple exhibition executives is particularly illuminating: “There’s no mass audience anymore, which is a relief because there never was,” the co-head of TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) told the site. “Now’s a good time to pay more attention to each person watching. What motivates them, what rewards the time they spend with us?” Moviegoing doesn’t need to feel like economy commercial flight anymore — and that can be a good thing, even with a higher price of admission.
Written by: Looper
